Community Care Grants: Halton

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many community care grant applications were made for Halton local authority area in each year since 2010; and what the total number of awards made was in each such year.

Steve Webb: In 2010-11 the Department for Work and Pensions received 1,950 Community Care Grant applications in the Halton local authority area. Of these, 1,010 awards were made. In 2011-12 the number of Community Care Grant applications in Halton local authority area was 2,200, of which 1,000 awards were made.
	We do not currently hold data for 2012-13.
	Notes
	1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, they do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System.
	2. Figures are for applications received, not for the number of people who made an application, and for initial awards made, not the number of people who received an initial award. (Some people made more than one application or received more than one initial award.)
	3. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 applications/awards.

Disability Living Allowance

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability living allowance claimants in (a) the UK and (b) Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency have had their entitlement uprated after a renewal in the last 12 months.

Esther McVey: The information is as follows:
	(a) Data for the UK is contained in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of disability living allowance renewal claims in Great Britain between the period October 2011 to September 2012 
			  Number 
			 Renewal awards maintained 162,700 
			 Renewal awards increased 12,200 
			 Renewal awards allowed 5,500 
			 Renewal awards reduced 35,300 
			 Renewal awards varied 11,800 
			 Renewal awards disallowed 36,600 
			 Total renewal decisions 264,100 
			 Notes: 1. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Data are collated for Great Britain—England, Scotland and Wales. They do not include Northern Ireland. 3. Renewal—claim received after the previous award has expired. 4. Maintained—entitlement to benefit remains at the same level as the previous award. 5. Increased—the decision is advantageous to the customer, i.e. the overall amount of benefit is increased. 6. Allowed—for DLA renewal the limited component for either care or mobility is renewed at the same rate but the length of the award is increased. 7. Reduced—the decision is disadvantageous to the customer, i.e. the overall benefit is reduced or period of award is shorter. 8. Varied—the award changes from lower rate care to lower rate mobility or vice versa. 9. Disallowed—an award benefit becomes a disallowance. Source: Department for Work and Pensions—RDA60209 and RDA60205 reports—DLA Management Information Statistics 
		
	
	(b) Data at constituency level are not available.

Political Parties: Finance

John Glen: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) project brief and (b) contract between the Electoral Commission and Woodnewton Associates on party funding; and what the value of the contract is over its lifetime;
	(2)  whether Woodnewton Associates will be making direct contact with (a) hon. Members, (b) Members of the House of Lords, (c) political parties and their local constituency branches (d) journalists and (e) local authorities under its new contract with the Electoral Commission;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the public tender document for the contract on stakeholder engagement on party funding that was recently awarded to Woodnewton Associates; and which commercial organisations bid for that contract.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission has awarded a contract to Woodnewton Associates to conduct a stakeholder survey and analysis to help it better understand what stakeholders think that its priorities should be and where improvements could be made to how it operates.
	The Electoral Commission has written to a range of stakeholders, including hon. Members, Members of the House of Lords, political parties and their local constituency branches and local authorities, inviting them to take part in this stakeholder survey. Woodnewton Associates will now be contacting them directly on behalf of the Commission.
	The Commission will not be contacting journalists as part of the stakeholder survey but will, in addition to those shown above, be contacting stakeholders from the following groups: lawyers, academics, civil servants, NGOs, think tanks and other professional organisations.
	A copy of the public tender documents, including the project brief and the contract between the Electoral Commission and Woodnewton Associates, have now been placed in the Library of the House of Commons. All the tender documents were publicly available on the Commission's website for the duration of the tender process. The contract is worth £29,200 + VAT and the project will be completed by March 2013. The details of all contracts over £10,000 are published on the Commission's website.
	The following organisations bid for the contract:
	ComRes
	Connect
	ICM
	Ipsos-Mori
	MRUK/RS Consulting
	Opinion leader
	Wood Holmes
	Woodnewton
	YouGov
	The National Audit Office recommended that the Commission should ask stakeholders about its future priorities in its report on the Commission published on 15 March 2012. In the last two financial years the Commission has made significant savings from its budget and is on target to deliver a 30% reduction in its core costs by 2014-15. But it is important that the Commission continues to review what it does and how it works to ensure that it can continue to improve efficiency and be as effective a regulator as possible. The stakeholder survey will help it achieve these objectives.

Local Government Finance

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the percentage change in formula grant in real terms was for each local authority between 2009-10 and 2011-12.

Brandon Lewis: Individual year on year cash change components for 2010-11 and 2011-12 are available on our website at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1011/chng1011.xls
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1112/1112chngs.xls
	The most recent gross domestic product deflators, which allow conversion from a cash terms series to a real term series, are available on the HM Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/gdp_deflators.xls
	Meaningful, like-for-like comparisons for individual local authorities cannot be made over more than one financial year owing to changes in local authority responsibility and function, as for instance with the transfer of responsibility for concessionary travel from districts to counties in 2011-12.

Sick Leave

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many days on average staff of his Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last 12 months.

Brandon Lewis: Average working days lost due to sickness absence are calculated quarterly in line with Cabinet Office instructions.
	For the 12 months ending 30 June 2012, the Department for Communities and Local Government had an average working days lost figure of 6.3 which is below the civil service average.
	Average working days lost for staff in the Department by civil service grade at each of these points is as follows:
	
		
			 Civil service grade September 2011 December 2011 March 2012 June 2012 
			 Administrative grades 14.3 14.3 14.1 14.1 
			 Executive officer grades 9.8 9.2 9.3 9.1 
			 Higher executive officer grades 7.1 6.8 6.8 6.5 
			 Senior executive officer grades 6.8 6.2 6.1 6.0 
			 Grades 7 3.4 3.2 3.8 4.1 
			 Grades 6 3.7 3.3 2.2 2.1 
			 Senior civil service 3.1 2.6 2.5 2.8 
		
	
	The Department is committed to the wellbeing of its staff and offers a number of services to assist in minimising staff absences:
	Line managers are being, trained to help them identify the skills they need to tackle workplace stress in their team. This has been developed by the Health and Safety Executive, in association with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Investors in People.
	Intranet information pages to inform staff on ways in which they can actively seek to maximise their physical and mental health.
	Access to a 24 hour Employee Assistance helpline which offers advice and support for all staff to deal with sick absence.
	We are also finalising and, by the end of the year, will have introduced a comprehensive policy for managing long term sickness absence which we consider will significantly improve the management and resolution of such cases.

Waste Disposal: Renewable Energy

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria he uses to decide whether to call in an application for a energy from waste incinerator.

Nicholas Boles: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 26 October 2012, Official Report, columns 71-72WS.

Airports

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward the date by which the Commission into the UK's future hub airport capacity published its interim report to recommend a substantive airport policy.

Patrick McLoughlin: The terms of reference for the Airports Commission, which includes the timetable it will follow and the broad scope of the interim and final reports, were set out in my written ministerial statement of 2 November 2012, Official Report, columns 28-30WS. The terms of reference were drafted so as to allow the Commission sufficient time to establish a robust evidence base and give appropriate consideration to all of the relevant options ahead of making its recommendations. Accelerating the Commission's time scale would increase the risk of its recommendations being overturned and could therefore delay decisions on a long term policy on airport capacity.

Driving: Eyesight

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps the Government (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to ensure compliance with European Commission Directives 2009/113/EC and 2006/126/EC concerning driver eyesight.

Stephen Hammond: The driver eyesight standards contained in the European Commission Directive 2009/113/EC need to be in place by 19 January 2013. Administrative procedures are already in place to ensure that all driver licence applicants meet the minimum eyesight standards required by the Directive. The domestic legislative changes are expected to be introduced early in 2013.

Driving: Eyesight

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that an assessment is performed on a driver's eyesight when their licence is due to be renewed.

Stephen Hammond: There are no plans to introduce formal eyesight testing linked to driving licence renewal. Drivers of all motor vehicles have a legal responsibility to ensure that they are able to meet the appropriate vision standards at all times while driving.
	Drivers must be able to read a number plate from 20 metres with glasses or corrective lenses if necessary. They must also notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency if at any time they develop an eye condition that affects their visual acuity or field and provide assurance that they have never been advised that they cannot meet 6/12 measured on a Snellen eyesight chart. Drivers who fail to notify or who drive while unable to read a number plate from the appropriate distance are committing an offence and may invalidate their motor insurance.

Adoption

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the number of faith-based adoption agencies which have closed or suspended their adoption activity since the commencement of the Equality Act 2010; and how many placements such agencies were responsible for in each of the last five years.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 5 November 2012
	The Department is not aware of any faith-based adoption agencies having closed or suspended their adoption activity following on from the commencement of the Equality Act 2010.
	Since the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 came into force on 30 April 2007, three agencies have chosen to close or suspend their recruitment and assessment work. Two of the agencies have registered as adoption support agencies and the third continues to provide other adoption services. There has been no significant loss of capacity in the adoption sector.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to (a) establish the main risk factors for under-age binge drinking and (b) develop a strategy to tackle the culture of under-age binge drinking.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 31 October 2012
	The Department for Education has the policy lead across Government for young people and alcohol, aiming to reduce the levels of alcohol consumption and the harms of under-age drinking.
	Steps taken to (a) establish the main risk factors for under-age drinking include reviewing national and international research in this area. This includes a secondary analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, specifically to explore patterns of alcohol consumption among young people (Green and Ross, 2010) and Targeted Youth Support: Rapid Evidence Assessment of Effective Early Interventions for Youth at Risk of Future Poor Outcomes (EPPI-Centre, 2008), which identified the main risk factors for drug and alcohol misuse. Both these reports are on the Department for Education's website and can be found on the following links.
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR005
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/RSG/Pupilsupportwelfareandbehaviour/Page6/DCSF-EPPI-06-08
	(b) As mentioned in my response to my hon. Friend's previous question on binge drinking, on 13 September 2012, Official Report, column 340W, the Government's Alcohol Strategy announced a number of measures which will help delay the age at which children have their first alcoholic drink and also outlines the action to be taken to improve the alcohol education for children and young people, raise their awareness of the harms, and ensure that parents are aware of their own responsibilities.
	The Department has funded Mentor UK to ensure teachers and substance misuse professionals have access to accurate, evidence-based information and guidance. We are procuring a new service to carry out this function and others from April 2013.
	Officials are working closely with the Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network (RDAN) to further improve protection of children from the impact of alcohol advertising. We are also working with the RDAN Education and Prevention Sub-Group to secure industry funding to help roll out genuinely evidence-based alcohol education and prevention programmes in schools.

Children

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received from parents and disabled young people in the trial authorities testing of his proposals to amend the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families guidance; and if he will publish any such representations.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 5 November 2012
	We received 466 responses to our consultation on revised safeguarding statutory guidance. These included responses from parents and organisations representing disabled children and young people. We are still considering these responses—we are determined to get the revised statutory guidance right so that it will be the catalyst for change and put the needs of individual children and young people, including those who are disabled, back at the heart of assessment.
	As part of our consultation, officials also met with organisations representing disabled children and their families.
	We also commissioned an independent evaluation of the trials, “The impact of more flexible assessment practices in response to the Munro Review of Child Protection: Emerging findings from the trials” undertaken by the Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre at Loughborough university. This was published in July this year and can be found on the Department's website at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/CWRC-00088-2012

Children in Care

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that children in care are placed as close to their home local authority as possible.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 29 October 2012
	Reports published this summer by the Joint All Party Parliamentary Group Inquiry into Children who Go Missing from Care and by the Deputy Children's Commissioner highlighted serious weaknesses in the system when children are placed out of their local authority. In response to this concern, we established an expert group on 'out of area' placements to focus on how to improve such arrangements; including improving the quality of decision making to determine whether an out of authority placement is needed for the child and is in the child's best interests. The group has met frequently over the summer and I will consider proposals from its work shortly.

Children in Care

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many babies were removed from their families at birth due to a parent's addiction to illegal drugs in each of the last five years.

Edward Timpson: The Department collects a range of information on looked after children. This includes information on the number and age of children who start to be looked after, numbers taken into care(1) and the reasons why a child may become looked after. Children may become looked after for a range of reasons, however we cannot identify from centrally held information those where parental addiction to illegal drugs is the main or a contributory factor.
	This latest information on looked after children is published in the Statistical First Release “Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2012” which can be found on the Department's website via the following link. Within that you will see the categories of need which are returned to the Department. Unfortunately it is not possible to isolate addiction to illegal drugs within these.
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml
	(1) Children taken into care are children who started to be looked after under a care order, police protection, emergency protection order or child assessment order.

Children in Care: Missing Persons

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how the Government calculates the figure for the number of children aged under 18 years in care who go missing each year; and what that figure was for each of the last five calendar years.

Edward Timpson: The Department collects information on looked after children on their SSDA903 return. As part of this return, local authorities record all children missing from their agreed placement for 24 hours or more and whose whereabouts are either known or unknown to social services.
	The number of children aged under 18 years in care who go missing for each of the latest five years is shown in the following table. Children who were missing on more than one occasion during the year have been recorded only once.
	
		
			 Looked after children who were missing from their agreed placement, years ending 31 March 2008 to 2012. Coverage: England 
			  Number 
			 2008 940 
			 2009 890 
			 2010 800 
			 2011 920 
			 2012 1,490 
			 Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements. 3. Figures include children who are absent from their agreed placement of more than 24 hours including those cases where (a) the young person is in a refuge for children at risk, or (b) the whereabouts of the young person is known to social services (not in refuge), or (c) the whereabouts of the young person is unknown. 4. Children who went missing more than once during the year have been counted once. 5. Includes children aged under 18 years as at 31 March. 6. There is known to be an issue with the quality of data on children recorded as being missing from their agreed placement for a period of 24 hours or more. Source: SSDA903 
		
	
	Comparisons with other data sources on missing children indicate that the figures presented may be an undercount of the true figure, in part due to definitional issues (e.g. this return only captures children missing for more than 24 hours). Work is currently being undertaken to look at improving the quality of the data returned by local authorities in this area in future. That work began late during the collection period for 2012 data, and may be in part causing the apparent increase in the 2012 figure.

Children: Performing Arts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will support a Private Members' Bill on updating the regulations pertaining to children appearing in performances based on the findings of his own Department's consultation and working party.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 5 November 2012
	We have consulted on the Government's proposals to simplify child performance legislation. We are currently considering the responses we received and next steps. If my hon. Friend wishes to let me have details of the contents of the Private Members Bill he has in mind, I will be happy to consider the proposals.

Children: Protection

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the proposed replacement of the framework for the assessment of children in need statutory guidance with new guidance entitled Managing Individual Cases, on the characteristics of age, gender, race and disability protected under section 149 of the Equality Act 2012;
	(2)  what evidence his Department holds in support of the proposal to remove mandatory timescales for the assessment of children defined as in need in accordance with section 17(10) of the Children Act 1989;
	(3)  what steps were taken by his Department to obtain the views of children and young people during its consultation on (a) the proposed replacement of the framework for the assessment of children in need statutory guidance with new guidance entitled Managing Individual Cases and (b) other aspects of the revised safeguarding statutory guidance;
	(4)  what evidence from individuals and organisations concerned with the welfare of children defined as in need under section 17(10) of the Children Act 1989 was made available to him and officials in his Department before the Managing Individual Cases draft guidance was produced.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 1 November 2012
	Our proposals to reform the assessment of children in need and their families are the result of a wide-ranging and independent review by Professor Eileen Munro of the London School of Economics ("the Munro Review"). Professor Munro looked at how the system could be reformed to keep a focus on the child's journey from needing to receiving help, covering both section 17 Children Act 1989 (Children in Need) and section 47 Children Act 1989 (Children at risk of significant harm). This review, and its recommendations, was warmly welcomed by the member for Wigan in a debate in this House, the day after the consultation on “Managing Individual Cases”—and other statutory guidance—was published. Our proposals in the consultation on “Managing Individual Cases” seek to put the needs of individual children at the heart of assessment. The proposals accord with a recommendation made by Professor Munro at the end of her comprehensive review which found that the process for assessing the needs of children in England has become too focussed on compliance with rules and procedures at the expense of acting in the best interests of the child.
	To inform her review, Professor Munro consulted widely and her recommendations were informed by the latest research and evidence. In July 2010, Professor Munro issued a general call for evidence which included a letter to all directors of children's services in England asking for their help to obtain the views of children and young people. This led some 470 different respondents—including 106 individuals, 68 local authorities, 42 voluntary organizations (including children's charities and disability groups), 33 professional organisations and 53 health bodies-to provide 1,120 separate pieces of evidence.
	The views expressed by children and young people are at the heart of the reasons why the revisions to the statutory guidance are being proposed. Professor Munro worked closely with the Office of the Children's Rights Director (OCRD), met with children and young people themselves and concluded that the child protection system had lost its focus on the things that matter most; the views and experiences of children and young people. The OCRD produced separate versions of Professor Munro's final report and the Government response for children and young people which set out clearly the Government's intentions on each of Professor Munro's recommendations. Officials have continued to work with OCRD to make sure that children and young people remain informed.
	Professor Munro was supported in her review by an advisory group drawn from organisations representing central and local government, local authority and voluntary sector children's services, the education and health professions, the police, inspection agencies and children's rights groups. The group consisted of professionals who are involved in the delivery of pre-statutory, section 17 and section 47 services. There was a separate implementation working group set up to consider Professor Munro's report and to advise on the Government's response.
	The policy intention on which we consulted—to put the needs of individual children at the heart of assessment—seeks to improve the quality of assessments and ultimately the outcomes for all children. The consultation impact assessment set out that we believe the proposed guidance is likely to have a positive impact on any particular vulnerable child under both section 17 and section 47. Further evidence on this issue is being provided through analysis of the consultation responses and ongoing evidence provided from the eight trial authorities who are testing a more flexible approach to assessment. This is why the Government committed to undertaking further analysis of the impact on equalities post-consultation.
	We are still considering the responses received to the consultation—we are determined to get the revised statutory guidance right so that it will be the catalyst for change and put the needs of individual children and young people back at the heart of assessment.

Social Services

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will direct the social work task force to conduct a survey of the caseloads of social workers.

Edward Timpson: The Social Work Task Force conducted a workload survey in 2009 as part of its review of Social Work. The Task Force published its final report in December 2009 and the Government accepted all its recommendations. The Social Work Reform Board had responsibility for implementing these recommendations. They included a local authority health check tool, the development of which was informed by the workload survey. The tool is widely used and helps local authorities assess, among other things, their approaches to caseload management.

Social Workers: Training

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will fund a further round of Step up to Social Work; and when he plans to make an announcement.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 29 October 2012
	A new cohort of Step Up to Social Work trainees began their training in February of this year. We are considering the merits of a 2013 intake to this training scheme in the light of the emerging findings from evaluation and the wider priorities for social work reform, and expect to announce our decision early in the new year if not sooner.

Social Workers: Training

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the quality of recruits from the Step Up to Social Work pilots.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 29 October 2012
	Step Up to Social Work has proved very successful in attracting high calibre applicants to train as social workers. Some 2,000 people applied for the 200 places available for the course that started last February. In the event 227 trainees are now on the programme. Successful candidates are required to hold at least a 2.1 first degree and to have experience of working with children and families. These entry requirements are higher than those set for the general social work training intake. We expect a formal evaluation of the programme to be published early in 2013. Employer feedback suggests that both their academic and practical abilities compare well with those on other training routes.

Broadband Delivery UK

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2012, Official Report, column 170W, on Broadband Delivery UK, how many staff (a) are currently seconded from her Department to local authorities and (b) have previously been seconded from her Department to local authorities.

Hugh Robertson: There is currently one member of staff of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport seconded to a local authority. There have been none previously.

Cultural Heritage

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effect on visitor numbers of the increase in admission fees to heritage sites;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of (a) the price of admissions and (b) the number of visitors to (i) cathedrals and (ii) heritage sites in each of the last three years.

Edward Vaizey: The Department monitors public engagement with leisure, culture and sport through its Taking Part Survey, in partnership with the Arts Council England, English Heritage and Sport England. The survey shows that the number of people who have visited a heritage site at least once in the last 12 months(1) has increased year on year for the past three years:
	(1) To the nearest thousand.
	
		
			  Number of visits 
			 2009-10 29,597,000 
			 2010-11 29,755,000 
			 2011-12 31,536,000 
		
	
	Heritage sites, for the purposes of the survey, include historic towns, buildings, landscapes, as well as places of worship.
	English Heritage has informed us that admissions prices to their properties are reviewed annually and adjustments made to take account of inflation and where investments have taken place which might warrant a price increase above inflation. In both cases, they then take account of the prices charged by other attractions to ensure that they are in line with the market. There is no evidence that this has an adverse effect on attendance.

National Lottery

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what the average per capita value was of awards by each Lottery money awarding body for each local authority area in each year since 1995; and if she will estimate which local authorities have received (a) below the average and (b) 65 per cent or less of the average for each body in each year;
	(2)  what the value was of Lottery awards made by each of the distributing boards (a) in total, (b) for each region and (c) for each local authority area in each of the years since 1995; and what value the awards made per head of population was in each year (i) in total, (ii) for each region and (iii) for each local authority area.

Hugh Robertson: Information on the value of Lottery grants made by each of the distributing bodies in total for each region and local authority area in each of the years since 1995 can be found by searching the Department's Lottery Grants Database at the following link:
	www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
	which uses information on Lottery grants supplied by the Lottery distributors. Lottery grants are not distributed on a per capita basis so population based information is not available.
	To attempt to calculate per capita or average per capita figures would be misleading, and would incur disproportionate cost. While the majority of Lottery grants do benefit a specific community or area, many have a wider benefit beyond the authority in which the recipient has its address. In some cases, the benefits of particular grants are felt across large areas of the country or the whole country, for example a canal or cycleway crossing many authority boundaries or films distributed throughout the UK. Such grants are classified as "non-location specific" on the Department's database and are not registered to any particular authority.

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the price elasticity of alcohol for the heaviest drinkers;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the potential effect of a minimum unit price of (a) 40 pence and (b) 50 pence on the consumption of alcohol by (i) heavy, (ii) moderate and (iii) light drinkers;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the robustness of the figures set out in the university of Sheffield modelling on minimum unit price for alcohol; and whether she plans to review those figures;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a minimum unit price set at (a) 40 pence on and (b) 50 pence on (i) smuggled and (ii) home-made alcohol; and if she will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The Alcohol Strategy, published earlier this year, set out the Government's commitment to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol. The Government will consult on this, and a number of other proposals in the Alcohol Strategy, later this autumn.
	The Government will also publish at the same time an impact assessment that will estimate the impact of minimum unit pricing on a range of issues including alcohol consumption, crime, health and business. This will be based on the best available evidence, including independent research by the university of Sheffield.

Asylum: Housing

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who have had their claim for asylum seeker status rejected are continuing to live in accommodation provided by the UK Border Agency.

Mark Harper: At the end of the second quarter of 2012 a total of 2,360 failed asylum seekers were accommodated under the provisions of Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Section 4 support is provided to failed asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute where there is a temporary barrier preventing them from leaving the UK.
	A total of 17,982 persons were accommodated under Section 95 of the 1999 Act. Section 95 support is generally available only while a person's asylum claim is under consideration or an appeal is outstanding. However, where there are children in the household eligibility for the support continues until the claim is accepted or the family leaves the United Kingdom. A proportion of the 17,982 cases will therefore be failed asylum seekers with children who have not yet been returned to their own countries. Data on the precise number is not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols. These cases are being actively managed.

Female Genital Mutilation

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responsibilities police and crime commissioners will be given on tackling female genital mutilation-related crimes.

Damian Green: Police and crime commissioners will be democratically accountable for cutting crime including any incidence of female genital mutilation, and ensuring the policing needs of the community are met. They will set the strategic direction for the police service within their force area and will have a general duty to consult regularly and involve the public, and have regard to the priorities of the community safety partnerships in the police area.

Foreign Workers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time is for the UK Border Agency to process (a) work permits and (b) accession cards for (i) EU citizens and (ii) non-EU citizens.

Mark Harper: holding answer 6 November 2012
	The data requested is not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols, or produced as part of the UK Border Agency's standard reports. However the UK Border Agency publishes immigration statistics on a quarterly and annual basis, a copy of which can be found in the Library of the House.

Piracy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason money assembled in the UK to pay ransom for ships and crews taken in piracy is not subject to a suspicious activity report from the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Jeremy Browne: holding answer 5 November 2012
	Although there is no UK law against the payment of ransoms in piracy cases, the Government counsels strongly against doing so, as making concessions only encourages such activity.
	Under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, if an individual knows or suspects they are dealing with criminal property and if they wish to obtain a statutory defence for carrying out that activity they should submit a Suspicious Activity Report to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and obtain consent. To obtain the consent of SOCA, they need to provide SOCA with sufficient information for a properly informed consent decision to be taken.
	In circumstances where consent was not sought when it should have been, it is exclusively a matter for the independent prosecution authorities to consider each case on its merits, and to apply the tests of evidential sufficiency and public interest as set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to (a) publicise the forthcoming elections for the police and crime commissioners and (b) explain the role of police and crime commissioners to the public.

Damian Green: From 6 October to 24 October the Home Office ran an advertising campaign to promote the forthcoming police and crime commissioner elections and explain a police and crime commissioner's role. Relevant information is also available on the Home Office website and on
	www.choosemypcc.org.uk
	Additional PR, social media and digital activity, as well as work with partners, supplemented this activity.
	During his speech at the Centre for Social Justice on 22 October the Prime Minister spoke about the importance of police and crime commissioners and the elections. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has also spoken publicly about police and crime commissioners, most recently at the Association of Chief Police Officers autumn conference on 25 October. I have also spoken publically on this subject, most recently during a speech on 23 October at the Policy Exchange.

Police: Pensions

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy that Scottish police officers should negotiate their full pension arrangements with the Scottish Government.

Damian Green: Public service pension policy is a reserved matter and the UK Government has introduced legislation to institute a common UK legal framework for all public service pension schemes; there are core elements of the reformed framework that must apply to all public service pension schemes.
	However, responsibility for the design and operation of pension arrangements specifically for police officers in Scotland falls to the Scottish Government and the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), does not have any role in these matters in Scotland.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of foreign national prisoners who have not been deported following their release from Swaleside Prison in Sheppey and are now resident in Thanet.

Mark Harper: Foreign national offenders will be considered for deportation if they satisfy the following criteria:
	A court recommendation and/or;
	For non-European Economic Area nationals: a custodial sentence of 12 months or more either in one sentence, or as an aggregate of two or three sentences over a period of five years or a custodial sentence of any length for a drug offence (an offence other than possession only);
	For European Economic Area nationals: a custodial sentence of 12 months or more for an offence involving drugs, violent or sexual crimes or a custodial sentence of 24 months or more for other offences.
	The UK Border Agency's case information database contains no record of foreign national prisoners released from Swaleside prison who currently reside in Thanet.
	Please note this is internal management information and is subject to change.

Violence against Women and Domestic Violence

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government has to ratify the Council of Europe's convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence; and if she will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The UK already has some of the most robust protections in the world against violence towards women and we already comply with the vast majority of the articles of the Istanbul convention. We are currently working within Government and with the devolved Administrations to ensure that all articles are fully met before ratification.

Work Permits

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken to process applications for work permits by the UK Border Agency.

Mark Harper: The work permit route closed in November 2008 and was replaced by Tier 2 of the points based system. Work permit applications are still required from employers wishing to recruit Bulgarian and Romanian nationals and the approval of a work permit application is a prerequisite for any Bulgarian and Romanian national who primarily wishes to work in the UK for a specified employer.
	The UK Border Agency is aiming to bring its processing times for deciding Bulgarian and Romanian applications back within service standard by 31 December 2012. This includes applications from Bulgarian and Romanian nationals who apply for a registration certificate to work in the UK, and for which a work permit application must also be made. As part of that plan the agency is continuing to recruit additional staff to increase its capacity and meet the set timescale.

Female Genital Mutilation

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding the Government has made available for engaging with communities affected by female genital mutilation.

Jeremy Browne: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	In 2011-12 the Home Office launched the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Fund providing £50,000 for frontline organisations who work to prevent FGM. 12 organisations across England and Wales secured funding which supported local work to abandon the practice of FGM.

Legal Aid Scheme

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what proportion of the applicants for legal aid in the last two years he estimates have had direct and regular access to a computer;
	(2)  when his online Community Legal Advice Information Service will be fully functional;
	(3)  whether applicants for legal aid will be able to apply via methods other than his online system.

Damian Green: No data are currently available on whether or not legal aid applicants have access to a computer or online services. However, the latest information from the Office for National Statistics is that over 80% of the adult population, generally, have access to the internet. Therefore we recognise that currently not all clients have access to online services and while, in accordance with the Government's Digital by Default agenda, we are looking to improve the amount of information that is provided online to clients who are able to access such services, it will not be compulsory for them to do so.
	Two new online services for clients have been or shortly will be introduced:
	The CLA online service which went live on the 22 October on:
	www.gov.uk
	provides access to CLA advice online for people who are eligible for legal aid in debt, welfare benefits, education, housing, employment and family. Clients can still opt to access CLA via the telephone at a later point, or they can choose to access advice in these categories as well as the other legal aid categories from a face-to-face advice service.
	On 1 April 2013 we will be deploying a new Legal Aid Online Information Service which will enable clients to identify if they are eligible for legal aid. Where they are, they will be directed to appropriate sources of assistance, including face-to-face advice providers if relevant. Where they are not, they will be signposted to suitable alternative sources of assistance.
	Currently clients have a choice about how to apply for legal aid. From April 2013 applicants for legal aid in debt, education and discrimination will need to apply for legal aid via the CLA online services, by telephone or by post. Those individuals who are exempt will be able to apply for legal aid face-to-face. In housing and family, eligible clients will be able to choose whether to apply for legal aid via CLA online, by telephone, by post or via a face-to-face legal aid advice provider. In the remaining categories of law, eligible clients can apply for legal aid via a face-to-face legal aid advice provider.

Carbon Emissions

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to promote carbon neutral practices (a) generally and (b) in Brighton, Kemptown constituency.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is committed to supporting the UK's transition to a low carbon economy, and carbon neutral practices can contribute to this process. DECC published a definition of carbon neutrality in October 2009 as follows:
	'Carbon neutral means that—through a transparent process of calculating emissions, reducing those emissions and offsetting residual emissions—net carbon emissions equal zero'.
	Following a consultation, DECC published guidance on 1 October 2009. The guidance provides an overview of the Government's view of the process that should be followed to achieve carbon neutrality as well as pointers to existing recognised standards and guidance. The guidance is designed for use by individuals, communities and organisations and in relation to the goods and services they provide.
	The Climate Change Act 2008, established the world's first long-term legally binding national framework to help tackle the dangers of climate change, by putting in place a system of five year carbon budgets. These budgets provide a framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% (from the 1990 baseline), by 2050. The carbon budgets are based on the UK's share of the EU target to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020.
	In December 2011 the Government published the Carbon Plan (copies are available in the Libraries of the House) which set out proposals for achieving the emissions reductions committed to in the first four carbon budgets, on a pathway consistent with meeting the 2050 target and the UK leads the world in its ambition for a 50% reduction in emissions over the 2023-27 period. One of the ways this can be achieved is through the pursuit of carbon neutral processes.
	Government is leading by example enabling all new homes to be zero carbon from 2016 and considering a similar approach for new non-domestic buildings from 2019 (managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government), the Government also has an ambition for new public sector buildings (including the central Government estate, hospitals and prisons, but excluding new local government buildings) to aim to make the move to zero carbon from 2018, one year ahead of the regulations.
	Nationwide policies, which will also be available in my hon. Friend’s constituency, will be contributing to these emission reductions. For example, the Green Deal programme will help bill payers make energy-saving improvements to keep their homes warm at lower cost and the Energy Company Obligation will allow around 230,000 low income households per year to benefit from heating and insulation measures.
	Further support for lower carbon heat will be offered through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which is the first of its kind in the world, providing long-term financial support to encourage the uptake of renewable heat. The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is the Government's principal mechanism for driving forward the transition to deployment of renewable and low carbon heat over the coming decades and will also contribute to meeting the UK's carbon targets.

Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2012, Official Report, column 366, on climate finance (Doha Talks), when he plans to announce the UK's contribution to the joint goal of $100 billion a year in climate finance by 2020 that developed countries are committed to deliver through the Green Climate Fund; what assessment he has made of the potential to raise the UK's share of this money through (a) a tax on fuels used by supertankers and (b) other potential revenues; if he will make it his policy that the UK's contribution to the Green Climate Fund will be additional to international aid; whether climate finance was discussed at the G20 Finance Ministers and Governors meeting in Mexico City on 4 and 5 November 2012; if the Government will make it its policy for agreement of a climate finance package at the Council of Economics and Finance Ministers of EU member states on 13 November 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The UK is committed to the goal of jointly mobilising $100 billion per year by 2020 from a variety of sources, alongside other developed countries. The $100 billion a year commitment is not directly linked to funding for the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The $100 billion could flow through a variety of channels—both multilateral and bilateral.
	The UK is scaling up our international climate finance towards this goal, to enable developing countries to move on to low carbon growth paths and adapt to the impacts of climate change. We will provide £2.9 billion of international climate finance from April 2011-March 2015 through our International Climate Fund. This puts the UK on track to deliver its fair share of the $100 billion.
	We hope that the GCF will operate in a way which will attract significant funding. We are confident that the framework agreed in Durban sets the GCF on the right track to do so. The UK will make a decision on contributing to the GCF once the design is complete and if it demonstrates that it is an effective fund that will deliver substantial results and excellent value for money.
	A range of sources will be required to meet the $100 billion goal. Alongside direct budget contributions, we consider private finance, the Multilateral Development Banks, carbon markets and revenues from international transport measures to be the most promising sources of climate finance. We are working with other countries through the UNFCCC and G20 to consider how to effectively mobilise sources of finance. I am therefore pleased the Finance Ministers of the G20 welcomed the report of their study group on climate finance in Mexico City, and have asked the study group to undertake further work next year.
	The EU is currently developing its position on climate finance for Doha, which we expect the Council of Economics and Finance Ministers to agree at their meeting on 13 November.

Energy: Prices

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what target date has been set for implementation of the Government's policy that every household should be on the lowest energy tariff.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 6 November 2012
	The date for implementation will depend on the details of the policy and the legislation. There are a number of options being considered on how precisely this measure will be implemented and we are discussing these with industry and consumer groups.

Fuel Poverty

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households were in fuel poverty in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 6 November 2012
	The following table shows the number of households living in fuel poverty by parliamentary constituency, local authority and region, for the latest available year 2010. Fuel poverty statistics for 2011 are due to be released in May 2013.
	
		
			 Area Fuel poor households (Thousand) Percentage living in fuel poverty (Percentage) 
			 Coventry north east constituency 9 21.6 
			 Coventry local authority 27 21.1 
		
	
	
		
			 West Midlands region 485 21.6 
			 England 3,536 16.4

Insulation

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on jobs in the insulation industry of the time taken to introduce Green Deal finance.

Gregory Barker: The June 2012 Final Green Deal and energy company obligation (ECO) impact assessment(1) provides estimates of these policies' impacts on employment in the insulation sector.
	External estimates by Innovas suggest that around 4,700 installers were employed in the insulation market in 2007-08, which covers loft and wall insulation, and another 22,000 were employed in the wider supply chain(2).
	Under Green Deal and ECO this total is expected to rise to between 39,000 and 60,000 (full-time equivalent) jobs by 2015 supported by installation of the main household insulation measures (solid wall, cavity wall, loft and floor). Other measures are expected to be taken up as a result of the Green Deal and ECO but these have not been quantified for their employment impacts.
	(1)http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/green-deal/5533-final-stage-impact-assessment-for-the-green-deal-a.pdf
	(2)Underlying data: Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services: an Industry Analysis; Innovas; 2009

Local Government

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  with reference to his Department's Memorandum of Understanding with the Local Government Group, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that its policy-making process takes account of the role of local councils in achieving or developing policy;
	(2)  when his Department plans to publish a review of the Memorandum of Understanding between his Department and the Local Government Group;
	(3)  whether he has met senior political representatives from the Local Government Group of the Local Government Association to review the Memorandum of Understanding, the Annual Report and council action on climate change set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between his Department and the Local Government Group;
	(4)  which senior civil servants from his Department have been assigned to work with the Local Government Association on steps to ensure that the milestones in Annex A of the Memorandum of Understanding between his Department and the Local Government Group are met;
	(5)  what meetings his Department has facilitated between the Local Government Group and other Government departments as set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between his Department and the Local Government Group.

Gregory Barker: My officials and I hold discussions with the Local Government Association (LGA) on a range of policy issues of mutual interest, including on the memorandum of understanding (MoU).
	To my knowledge, the Department has not facilitated meetings between the LGA and other Government Departments.
	I am currently discussing with the LGA the report of progress against the MoU. This work is led in DECC by officials from the Energy Efficiency Deployment Office.

Warm Front Scheme: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people have received support through the Warm Home grant in (a) Brighton and Hove and (b) Brighton, Kemptown constituency to date.

Gregory Barker: The Warm Home Discount scheme will benefit around 2 million low income and vulnerable households each year. This is expected to include over 1 million of the poorest pensioners receiving a £130 discount on their electricity bills in 2012-13. Regional or constituency breakdowns for this data are not available.
	The Warm Front scheme provides heating and insulation measures to certain low income vulnerable households living in thermal inefficient properties. The number of households assisted under Warm Front for (a) Brighton and Hove and (b) Brighton, Kemptown constituency is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 2005-12 (1) 
			  Number 
			 Brighton and Hove local authority 5,877 
			 Brighton, Kemptown constituency 2,119 
			 (1) Figures are only available for the Warm Front scheme since 2005 and up until 31 October 2012.

Wind Power

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2012, Official Report, columns 158-9W, on wind power: Bournemouth, whether it is his policy that any consultation on proposed windfarms should include the number, size and location of the wind turbines.

Nicholas Boles: holding answer 5 November 2012
	I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	Under the Planning Act 2008, it is for the developer of a project to decide how to consult, and what to consult on, prior to submitting an application for development consent. A consultation report must be submitted to the Secretary of State when an application for development consent is made and the Secretary of State will take this into account when deciding whether or not an application should be accepted for examination.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government and the Planning Inspectorate have issued guidance on the consultation process, and the flexibilities available to developers. This guidance is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/guidancepreapplication.pdf
	http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Advice-note-9.pdf
	Consultation requirements on planning applications for wind farms submitted under the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2010, establish that planning applications must first be validated by the local planning authority. Applicants are required to describe among other things, their proposal, and the site .address including grid reference on the national standard planning application form. Local planning authorities may also require additional information to be submitted on the material considerations.

Devolution

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps the Government is taking to prepare for the devolution of borrowing powers to the Welsh Government.

David Jones: The UK Government has agreed that, in principle, the Welsh Government should have access to limited capital borrowing powers on the condition an independent revenue stream, such as tax powers, is in place to support them.
	The Commission on Devolution in Wales is considering the case for the devolution of fiscal powers, including tax powers, as part of its review of financial arrangements in Wales. The Commission will publish its findings on 19 November, and the Government will consider carefully the recommendations it makes.

Quango Reform

Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what further plans he has for quango reform.

Nick Hurd: This Government is undertaking an ambitious programme of reform of around 500 public bodies; increasing accountability, removing duplication and reducing costs.
	Through abolitions and mergers we have already reduced the number of bodies by just over 200. By March 2015 we will have reduced the overall number by a third.

Employment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the category of government supported training and employment programmes in monthly labour market statistics includes all participants in the Work programme.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 2 November 2012
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Wat son, dated November 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking whether the category of government supported training and employment programmes in monthly labour market statistics includes all participants in the Work Programme (126367).
	Table 3 of the monthly Labour Market statistical bulletin contains estimates of the number of people classified as in employment on government supported training and employment programmes. The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey. The classification of people into this category is dependent on the information reported by respondents regarding the type of programme they are on and their activity in the survey reference week. Consequently, some participants in the Work Programme are included in Table 3 but others are classified as either unemployed or economically inactive.

Alcoholic Drinks: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of 11 to 15 year old (a) boys, (b) girls and (c) children had drunk alcohol at least once in each of the last 30 years.

Anna Soubry: The information on the proportion of 11-15 year olds who have reported ever having had a drink in the years 1988-2011 is in the following table.
	This does not include figures prior to 1988, for which information is not held centrally.
	The figures are available biannually for 1988-98 and every year from 1998 to 2011.
	
		
			 Proportion of 11-15 year old pupils who had ever had an alcoholic drink, by sex: 1988  to  2011 
			 Percentage 
			  1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
			 Boys 65 65 63 62 63 62 62 59 62 62 
			 Girls 59 63 56 60 61 58 59 59 60 60 
			 Total 62 64 60 61 62 60 61 59 61 61 
			 Bases:           
			 Boys 1,472 1,622 1,650 1,508 1,431 2,245 4,823 3,540 4,620 5,026 
			 Girls 1,523 1,466 1,608 1,510 1,387 2,356 4,568 3,313 4,622 4,711 
			 Total 3,021 3,088 3,263 3,018 2,818 4,607 9,391 6,853 9,242 9,737 
		
	
	
		
			  2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20101 2011 (1) 
			 Boys 62 59 57 56 54 53 53 46 46 
			 Girls 61 59 60 55 54 52 50 45 44 
			 Total 61 59 58 55 54 52 51 45 45 
			 Bases:          
			 Boys 5,221 4,981 4,629 3,976 4,032 3,924 3,828 3,628 3,166 
			 Girls 5,098 4,635 4,478 4,128 3,730 3,795 3,790 3,576 3,295 
			 Total. 10,319 9,616 9,107 8,104 7,762 7,719 7,618 7,204 6,461 
			 (1 )The data in 2010 and 2011 were weighted. All bases shown in this table are unweighted. Source: Survey of Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use in Young People, Health and Social Care Information Centre

Blood: Contamination

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with bleeding disorders who were infected with (a) HIV and (b) Hepatitis C from their treatment with blood products are still alive.

Anna Soubry: As at 1 November 2012, there were 316 people still alive with bleeding disorders who were infected with HIV through treatment with blood or blood products supplied by the national health service who are registered with the Macfarlane Trust. The majority are also infected with hepatitis C.
	The United Kingdom Haemophilia Centres Doctors' Organisation's most recently published estimate, is that there were 2,733 people with bleeding disorders still alive as at 31 March 2011, who had been exposed to hepatitis C through treatment with NHS supplied blood or blood products.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much money has been paid into (a) the Macfarlane Trust, (b) the Eileen Trust, (c) MFET, (d) the Skipton Fund and (e) the Caxton Foundation since their incorporation;
	(2)  what the total value is of payments made from the five organisations within Alliance House in respect of contracted blood diseases.

Anna Soubry: The total amount of money that the Department has paid into the Macfarlane Trust, the Eileen Trust, MFET Ltd, the Skipton Fund and the Caxton Foundation since their creation, together with the amounts of money that those bodies have paid out to their beneficiaries, is shown in the following table.
	The table also includes details of the amounts paid into, and paid out of, the Macfarlane Special Payments Trust and the Macfarlane Special Payments Trust No. 2, both of which are no longer in operation. The Macfarlane Special Payments Trust made one-off lump sum payments of £20,000 to each person infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as a result of treatment with contaminated blood or blood products supplied by the national health service. The Macfarlane Special Payments Trust No. 2 made one off lump sum payments of up to £60,500, to people infected with HIV as a result of treatment with contaminated NHS supplied blood or blood products, following the settlement of litigation in 1991.
	
		
			 Name of organisation Year payments be gan Total amount paid into organisation by the Department of Health since inception to 31 March 2012 (1)  (£) Total amount paid to beneficiaries since inception to 31 March 2012 (2)  (£) 
			 Macfarlane Trust(3) 1988 60,601,515 61,664,935 
			 Macfarlane (Special Payments) Trust 1990 24,840,000 24,840,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Macfarlane (Special Payments) Trust No. 2 1992 42,874,000 42,874,000 
			 Eileen Trust 1993 2,769,334 2,394,561 
			 MFET Ltd 2010 13,174,467 13,003,557 
			 Skipton Fund Ltd 2004 164,230,801 161,787,168 
			 Caxton Foundation 2011 901,011 400,266 
			 (1) The Department of Health makes payments to the Skipton Fund and Caxton Foundation on behalf of all four health Departments. It re-charges the devolved Administrations for payments made to beneficiaries who were infected in hospitals on their territories, and their dependents. (2 )These data are taken from the published accounts of the Macfarlane Trust, Eileen Trust, MFET Ltd, Skipton Fund Ltd and Caxton Foundation, and data held centrally by the Department. (3) The total amount paid by the Macfarlane Trust to its beneficiaries is greater than the total amount it has received from the Department. When the Macfarlane Trust was established, the Department paid the trust £10 million, and since then the trust has held a reserve of at least £3 million. The trust has used the yield on these funds, in addition to the further funds received from the Department, to provide financial and other support to beneficiaries.

Maternity Services Liaison Committees

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the future of maternity services liaison committees.

Daniel Poulter: It is important that the views and experiences of women and their families remain at the heart of healthcare commissioning and their voices are heard locally to inform the development and design of maternity and newborn services. It will be for local HealthWatch organisations as the voice of local women and patients to decide how to build on the best practice of Maternity Service Liaison Committees to ensure a strong voice for women and their families in the planning and delivery of maternity and newborn services.

Psychiatry

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government has to introduce a mandatory licensing scheme for psychotherapists; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Government have no plans to introduce statutory regulation for psychotherapists. However, the Health and Social Care Act 2012 provides for the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence, which is to be renamed the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA), to quality assure voluntary registers of unregulated health care professionals and health care workers in the United Kingdom, social care workers in England, and certain students.
	The new accreditation scheme is due to be launched on 3 December 2012. A number of organisations including ones relevant to psychotherapy have already expressed their interest to the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence in becoming accredited voluntary registers.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many written parliamentary questions to his Department received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to his Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Daniel Poulter: In the 12 month period ending on 2 November 2012, the Department received 3,473 ordinary written questions, of which 3,468 (99%) were answered within five sitting days. The remaining five questions were answered within 10 sitting days.
	In the 12 month period ending on 2 November 2012, the Department received 1,303 questions for answer on a named day and answered all (100%) on the date for answer. No holding replies were issued.

Fisheries

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Fisheries Council is to discuss the adoption of the Commission proposal for a Council Regulation 2012/0143 (COD) which will extend the derogation which restricts access to the UK's 12 mile territorial waters beyond the time limit of 31 December 2012 at its meeting due to take place in November 2012.

Richard Benyon: The proposal has recently received a unanimous vote in favour in a plenary meeting of the European Parliament. As member states are also in agreement to extend the derogation, discussion at Agriculture and Fisheries Council is unlikely to be necessary. We therefore expect the proposal to be adopted at a forthcoming Council meeting, not necessarily the Agriculture and Fisheries Council but before the end of the year.

Forestry Commission

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Forestry Commission budget was in (a) 2010-11 and (b) each subsequent year of the current spending review period.

David Heath: Forestry is a devolved matter and the funding of the Forestry Commission in Scotland and Wales is a matter for the respective Administrations. The Resource DEL (departmental expenditure limit) budget for Forestry Commission GB/England at the start of each financial year for the period 2010-11 to 2012-13 and indicative figures for 2013-14 and 2014-15 are given in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year £ million (at start of year) 
			 2010-11 (1)47.454 
			 2011-12 (1)45.592 
			 2012-13 (1)42.328 
		
	
	
		
			 2013-14 (2)39.241 
			 2014-15 (2)36.253 
			 (1) Initial budget (2) Indicative 
		
	
	The funding of the Forestry Commission was one of the issues addressed by the Independent Panel on Forestry. We are currently considering the panel's report and recommendations and will respond fully in January 2013.

Marine Conservation Zones

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that all proposed marine conservation zones in English waters are designated to ensure compliance with the UK's international obligations to deliver an ecologically coherent network.

Richard Benyon: The Government is committed to establishing an ecologically-coherent network of marine protected areas (MPAs). This network will consist of European marine sites (special areas of conservation designated under the Habitats directive and special protection areas designated under—the Wild Birds directive), sites of special scientific interest, sites designated under the Ramsar convention and marine conservation zones (MCZs).
	DEFRA is currently considering the package of advice on possible sites for MCZs, to cover English inshore and English and Welsh offshore waters. This includes the site recommendations and impact assessment from the regional MCZ projects, the science advisory panel advice, and formal advice from the statutory nature conservation bodies to identify sites for designation in the first tranche. The public consultation, expected to commence shortly, will indicate which of the sites recommended by the regional MCZ projects are proposed for designation in 2013, which are candidates for future tranches and which will not be pursued any further. Stakeholders will be able to review, comment and feedback on the proposed designation decisions before they are finalised.
	Marine nature conservation policy is a devolved matter and each UK Administration has responsibility for designating MCZs in its territorial waters out to 12 nautical miles. There is also executive devolution of responsibility to the Scottish Government for offshore waters adjacent to Scotland. DEFRA is working with counterparts in the devolved Administrations to ensure that the UK's international obligations on marine protected areas are met.

Marine Conservation Zones

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how evidence collected after the submission of the advice from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Natural England will be incorporated into the process of decision-making on the marine conservation zone project;

Richard Benyon: DEFRA will shortly be launching a public consultation which will give stakeholders the opportunity to provide more evidence on the proposed designation decisions before they are finalised. The evidence received from the public consultation, along with any other evidence that has been collected since the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies submitted their advice in July 2012, will be evaluated and taken into consideration before Ministers make their final decisions on which sites to designate in the first tranche in 2013.

Marine Conservation Zones

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he proposes that his Department should consult on the proposed reference areas identified within the Marine Conservation Zone location consultation, as part of his Department's consultation on the designation of marine conservation zones due to start in December 2012.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA will shortly be launching a public consultation on Marine Conservation Zones (MCZ). This will explain how we propose to treat all sites recommended by the Regional MCZ Projects.

Rural Development Programme

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what matched funding for Rural Development Fund payments to farmers in England his Department has provided in each of the last three years.

Richard Benyon: The Exchequer (match fund) spend for the last three years on the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), in resource terms, is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year £ million 
			 2009-10 194 
			 2010-11 199 
			 2011-12 164

Sick Leave

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of his Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The number and proportion of working days lost due to sickness in core DEFRA by grade for each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 As at 30 June each year Grade Average working days lost Proportion of working days lost (percentage) 
			 2008 AA 10.9 4.8 
			  AO 8.7 3.9 
			  EO 9.4 4.2 
			  HEO 5.1 2.3 
			  SEO 5.0 2.2 
			  Grade 7 2.6 1.2 
			  Grade 6 2.0 0.9 
			  SCS 2.6 1.2 
			  Overall 5.9 2.6 
		
	
	
		
			     
			 2009 AA 20.8 9.2 
			  AO 8.8 3.9 
			  EO 8.3 3.7 
			  HEO 4.8 2.1 
			  SEO 5.0 2.2 
			  Grade 7 2.7 1.2 
			  Grade 6 4.1 1.8 
			  SCS 1.2 0.5 
			  Overall 5.7 2.5 
			     
			 2010 AA 20.7 9.2 
			  AO 9.6 4.3 
			  EO 8.7 3.9 
			  HEO 5.0 2.2 
			  SEO 3.5 1.6 
			  Grade 7 4.4 2.0 
			  Grade 6 3.9 1.7 
			  SCS 1.5 0.7 
			  Overall 6.0 2.7 
			     
			 2011 AA 15.8 7.0 
			  AO 7.8 3.5 
			  EO 7.4 3.3 
			  HEO 5.0 2.2 
			  SEO 3.8 1.7 
			  Grade 7 3.5 1.6 
			  Grade 6 5.3 2.4 
			  SCS 1.2 0.5 
			  Overall 5.3 2.4 
			     
			 2012 AA 8.3 3.7 
			  AO 6.6 2.9 
			  EO 4.7 2.1 
			  HEO 3.9 1.7 
			  SEO 2.5 1.1 
			  Grade 7 2.1 0.9 
			  Grade 6 3.2 1.4 
			  SCS 0.9 0.4 
			  Unknown(1) 2.9 1.3 
			  Overall 3.7 1.6 
			 (1) Staff shown as being in an unknown grade are former Regional Development Agency staff whose grade is yet to be assessed.

Trees

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from which budgets his Department's eight million pounds for research into tree health has been taken.

David Heath: From April 2012, DEFRA has allocated an additional £8 million from its science research budget in support of the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Action Plan, £2 million of which will extend beyond the SR10 spending review period as it is going into a longer term Living with Environmental Change programme, which is also attracting several million additional funding from Research councils.

Trees: Diseases

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date ash dieback disease started being treated as a quarantine pest under national emergency measures.

David Heath: When it was first confirmed, on 7 March 2012, following the discovery of symptomatic plants in a nursery in the south of England on 20 February, control measures against ash dieback disease were taken under the Plant Health (England) Order 2005 using general powers applying to pests and diseases which are not established in the country.
	The Plant Health (Forestry) Amendment Order 2012, which came into force on 29 October 2012, brought in specific emergency measures against the organism Chalara fraxinea, the causal agent of ash dieback.

Turtles: Cayman Islands

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) officials, (b) staff, (c) contractors and (d) anyone under the employment of his Department will be involved with the independent assessment ordered by the Cayman Turtle Farm into allegations of animal cruelty.

Richard Benyon: I understand that the Cayman Islands Government is currently making arrangements for the independent assessment into allegations of inhumane turtle husbandry at the Cayman Turtle Farm. The final selection of who will carry out the assessment has not yet been made.

Water Abstraction

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abstraction licences were (a) active and (b) issued in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 to date.

Richard Benyon: Table 1 shows the number of active water abstraction licences. This is the number of licences in force which authorise the abstraction of water; the numbers include full, transfer and temporary licences. The number of abstraction licences in force will vary throughout a year as new licences are issued and existing licences are revoked or lapse or expire. Table 1 thus presents a snapshot of the number of licences in force at the particular dates.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of water abstraction licences 
			 Time period Total 
			 At 31 December 2010 19831 
			 At 31 December 2011 19841 
			 At 31 October 2012 19832 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the number of abstraction licences (full, transfer and temporary) issued in 2010, 2011 and 2012 (to 31 October). A breakdown has been included to show the number of these licences which were time limited renewals. The Water Act (2003) made it law to include a time limit on all new, full and transfer abstraction licences. A licence will expire when the time limit is reached. The licence holder can apply to renew the licence. Information on the number of time limited renewals is shown in table 2.
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of abstraction licences issued 
			 Time period Total (including time limited renewals) Time limited renewals only 
			 2010 764 346 
			 2011 561 173 
			 1 January to 31 October 2012 522 124

Water Supply

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what his policy is on reviewing the time limit placed on the right of a landowner to claim reasonable costs and legal fees following the placement by water companies of water pipes, water tanks, or sewage over-flow chambers on the landowner's property;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that water companies exercising powers to place water pipes, water tanks, or sewage over-flow chambers on privately-owned land repay any costs incurred by landowners as a result of a company's actions;
	(3)  if he will review the provisions protecting the rights of landowners against water companies placing water pipes, water tanks, or sewage over-flow chambers on private land without providing fair compensation for costs and legal fees incurred by the landowner;
	(4)  if he will consider the merits of allowing a landowner the right to appeal against a proposal by a water company to place water pipes, water tanks, or sewage over-flow chambers on private property in cases where there is inadequate consultation on financial compensation;
	(5)  what steps his Department takes to ensure that water companies pay reasonable costs and legal fees to landowners when they place water pipes, water tanks, or sewage over-flow chambers on private property.

Richard Benyon: The Water Industry Act contains provisions outlining the obligations on water companies carrying out pipe-laying works on private land and for compensating landowners that suffer loss or damage as a result of any works. Compensation is payable for any depreciation to the value of the land caused by the exercise of the power to lay the pipe, together with an allowance for disturbance and actual losses. Ofwat guidance requires the company to pay an advance of 90% of its assessment of the landowner's loss within three months of receipt of a quantified claim and evidence of entitlement. Interest may also be payable on the claim. If the level of compensation cannot be agreed the matter can be referred to the Upper Tribunal (or some other form of independent alternative dispute resolution agreed between the parties). It is up to the tribunal to decide if and how costs such as legal fees should be awarded.
	In addition, Ofwat may investigate certain complaints, including that a company did not give notice of its intention to carry out works on private land or carried out those works unreasonably. Ofwat may award compensation for a failure to adequately consult, or for loss, damage or inconvenience caused by exercising its powers unreasonably. Ofwat may not include in its financial award any loss, damage or inconvenience for which compensation is recoverable under another enactment, unless the award would fail to reflect the unreasonableness of what the company did. The award is intended to cover unnecessary and avoidable inconvenience and associated loss and damage.
	The draft Water Bill, published in July 2012, included a commitment to consider whether cases referred to Ofwat should be handled in a different way (e.g. through alternative dispute resolution, arbitration, etc). The Government is including the handling of disputes in relation to work on private land in its review.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of written parliamentary questions to his Department received holding responses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: Since May 2012, the Department has received 213 named day parliamentary questions, for which it is customary to send a holding answer should the Department be unable to answer on the date specified. 59, or 28% of Named Day questions have received a holding reply since May 2012.
	To provide data prior to May 2012 would incur disproportionate cost.

Loans: Republic of Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the repayment terms are of the Government's loan to the Government of Ireland; and what amount currently remains outstanding.

Greg Clark: The UK agreed in December 2010 to provide a bilateral loan to Ireland for £3,226,960,000. The loan to Ireland is drawn in tranches, each with a duration of 7.5 years. Repayment of each tranche of the loan is in full at the end of the 7.5 year term, with interest payable every six months. The Treasury has so far disbursed five tranches of the loan, each of £403,370,000; the total amount of principal that remains outstanding is therefore £2,016,850,000.
	Under the Loans to Ireland Act, the Treasury is required to provide regular reports to Parliament in relation to the bilateral loan. I laid the most recent report before the House of Commons on 15 October 2012, covering the reporting period to 30 September 2012, which is available online at the following link:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/other/9781909096097/9781909096097.asp
	The Treasury will provide a further report following the end of the next reporting period, which ends on 31 March 2013.

PAYE

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department plans to offer compensation to people whose universal credit payments are delayed owing to problems with the real-time information reporting system.

David Gauke: Information about employed earnings will be reported to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) via the Real Time Information (RTI) system wherever possible. This will ease the reporting burden on claimants. If earnings are not reported through RTI for any reason, claimants will have the opportunity to declare their earnings to DWP through the universal credit interface.
	DWP will have contingencies in place to ensure that UC payments continue should there be problems with the feed of RTI from HMRC to DWP. Universal credit payments are not therefore expected to be delayed by the RTI system, so compensation payments will not be appropriate.

PAYE

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance HM Revenue and Customs has given to employers to ensure that they are aware of their obligations under the real-time information reporting system.

David Gauke: HMRC is providing a range of web based guidance for businesses about preparing for and operating PAYE in Real Time and has recently written to all employers who will join the real time information (RTI) reporting system in April 2013. They are also making free, RTI enabled Basic PAYE Tools (BPT), available for employers with nine or fewer employees. A downloadable guide to using the RTI Basic PAYE Tools will be available shortly.

Cayman Islands

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government has provided financial or other support to the Cayman Islands government for the Cayman Turtle Farm.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not provided financial or other support to the Cayman Islands Government for the Cayman Turtle Farm.
	We are aware that the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has conducted an investigation into the turtle farm, and that it has recently made its findings public. The British Government place great importance on conserving the biodiversity of the Overseas Territories and takes seriously reports of animal cruelty throughout the world. We understand the farm has carried out a review of its operations and found no basis for WSPA's allegations. The farm itself has ordered that an independent assessment take place in December. We encourage WSPA, the management of the farm and the Cayman Islands Government to continue to engage constructively.

Gambia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on child sex tourism in the Gambia.

Mark Simmonds: Promoting and protecting the rights of the child is one of the UK's human rights priorities. We condemn all forms of exploitation. Our High Commission in Banjul has recently supported The Gambia's Child Protection Alliance in bringing together community and religious leaders, member's of the tourist industry, police and government officials to raise awareness of these issues and to protect children in The Gambia from sexual abuse and exploitation.
	Investigating reports of child abuse and of the viewing of indecent images online is one of the major priorities of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CHOP). CEOP has worked with the ACPO Criminal Records Office to launch the International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC) which is a vital new tool for schools and other overseas organisations in the prevention of harm to children under their care. Similar to the UK's CRB system, the ICPC is a police check for UK nationals who are travelling and working overseas, and will help identify and screen out those who have previous convictions which make them unsuitable to be working with children.

Gambia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the UK's relationship with the Gambia.

Mark Simmonds: The UK enjoys a close and healthy relationship with The Gambia, bilaterally and through the Commonwealth. Between 50,000 and 60,000 British nationals visit The Gambia each year and about 3,000 have homes there. We continue to engage with the Government of The Gambia and to lobby on a range of human rights issues, most recently the sudden lifting of a 27-year moratorium on the use of the death penalty. The Department for International Development recently contributed £500,000 to an international humanitarian fund to alleviate food shortages in the country caused by poor rains.

Gambia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any current plans to visit the Gambia.

Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has no plans to visit The Gambia over the next six months.

Gambia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote human rights in the Gambia.

Mark Simmonds: The UK remains concerned about human rights in The Gambia, particularly following the recent execution of nine prisoners on death row. We have made our opposition to these executions—and the death penalty more generally—clear, both in London and in Banjul. We welcome the reintroduction of an effective moratorium on the death penalty but remain concerned at its non-binding nature. The UK also regularly raises concerns about freedom of expression and the protection of journalists. The sudden closures of Taranga FM Radio Station in August and. recently, of “The Daily News” and “The Standard” newspapers are worrying developments. At the September Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, the UK supported a resolution on the safety of journalists worldwide.
	Our High Commissioner in Banjul regularly raises human rights issues with the Government of The Gambia, both twice-yearly through formal EU discussions and when specific incidents occur. Our human rights policy towards The Gambia is guided by United Nations and EU guidelines. In 2011, the British High Commission in Banjul, on behalf of the EU, formulated a local strategy based on the latter.

Gambia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in the Gambia.

Mark Simmonds: The UK remains concerned about human rights in the Gambia, particularly following the recent execution of nine prisoners on death row. We have made our opposition to these executions—and the death penalty more generally—clear, both in London and in Banjul. We welcome the reintroduction of an effective moratorium on the death penalty but remain concerned at its non-binding nature. The UK also regularly raises concerns about freedom of expression and the protection of journalists. The sudden closures of Taranga FM Radio Station in August and, recently, of “The Daily News” and “The Standard” newspapers are worrying developments. At the September Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, the UK supported a resolution on the safety of journalists worldwide.
	Our high commissioner in Banjul regularly raises human rights issues with the Government of the Gambia, both twice-yearly through formal EU discussions and when specific incidents occur. Our human rights policy towards the Gambia is guided by United Nations and EU guidelines. In 2011, the British high commission in Banjul, on behalf of the EU, formulated a local strategy based on the latter.

Gambia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department is taking steps to tackle child sex tourism by UK citizens to the Gambia.

Mark Simmonds: Promoting and protecting the rights of the child is one of the UK's human rights priorities. We condemn all forms of exploitation. Our high commission in Banjul has recently supported the Gambia's Child Protection Alliance in bringing together community and religious leaders, members of the tourist industry, police and government officials to raise awareness of these issues and to protect children in the Gambia from sexual abuse and exploitation.
	Investigating reports of child abuse and of the viewing of indecent images online is one of the major priorities of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). CEOP has worked with the ACPO Criminal Records Office to launch the International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC) which is a vital new tool for schools and other overseas organisations in the prevention of harm to children under their care. Similar to the UK's CRB system, the ICPC is a police check for UK nationals who are travelling and working overseas, and will help identify and screen out those who have previous convictions which make them unsuitable to be working with children.

Mali

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his French counterpart on the conflict in northern Mali.

Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and Foreign Minister Fabius had a substantive discussion on the crisis in Mali and the international response in London in June. The Secretary of State has since visited Paris twice when Mali and the Sahel were on the agenda, in addition, the Secretary of State has discussed the Sahel in a number of phone calls with Minister Fabius. I have met France's Special Envoy, Jean Felix-Paganon. together with my hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr O'Brien), the Prime Minister's newly appointed Special Envoy for the Sahel. I also took part in the UN Secretary-General's meeting on the Sahel in New York on 26 September.

Prisoners on Remand

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens are in prison on remand in other EU member states.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold figures of UK citizens on remand in prison. We do however have overall figures for British nationals in detention overseas. On 31 March 2012 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was aware of 765 British nationals in detention in other EU member states.

Russia

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to promote relations with the Russian Federation.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is leading cross-government efforts to build a more constructive relationship with Russia. Both governments are committed to further developing the commercial relationship, most recently through the Intergovernmental Steering Committee on Trade and Investment in London in October. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov agreed in May 2012 a structured foreign policy framework promoting greater dialogue on key foreign policy questions, including Syria, Iran and Afghanistan. Both Ministers also designated 2014 as the UK-Russia Year of Culture to promote people to people links between Russia and the UK. The FCO leads an annual bilateral dialogue on human rights, which provides a forum for a frank exchange of views. On issues where we do not agree, the UK Government has set out our concerns to the Russian Government at the highest level.

Effect of UK Equity Markets on the Competitiveness of UK Business Review

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to implementing Recommendation 9 of the Kay Review of UK equity markets.

Jo Swinson: We welcome the Kay Review’s final report.
	The Government are currently considering all the principles and recommendations in depth and will publish its detailed response in due course.

Groceries Code Adjudicator

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  whether he has drawn up a job description for the role of the Groceries Code Adjudicator;
	(2)  whether (a) he and (b) his Department have interviewed candidates for the role of the Groceries Code Adjudicator;
	(3)  whether he has short-listed candidates for the position of the Groceries Code Adjudicator;
	(4)  whether he has decided who should be appointed as the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) have started the recruitment process for a Groceries Code Adjudicator. An advertisement was placed in August 2012, which referred candidates to a publically available information pack and job description, a copy of which will be placed in the Libraries of the House. Candidates have been shortlisted and interviews are ongoing. No final decision on the appointment has yet been made.

Higher Education: Business

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department has provided to university and business research partnerships in (a) the North East and (b) England in the last 12 months.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills provides a range of support to encourage universities and businesses to work together. This includes funding from the Research Councils, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Technology Strategy Board.
	Funding from HEFCE in 2012 includes: Higher Education Innovation Funding of £150 million pa (of which £9.3 million went to higher education institutions in the North East) to encourage engagement with business and other users of university research and capabilities; business support element of quality-related research funding (amounting to £64 million of which £2 million went to HEIs in the North East) and £300 million for UK Research Partnership Investment Fund, of which £185.75 million has so far been allocated to English HEIs, though none in the North East.
	In the latest year the Technology Strategy Board provided over £200 million for collaborative R&D projects including at least one England-based company or university, of which nearly £17 million of grants involved partners in the North East of England. It also provided £10.4 million grant funding for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships including an England-based company or university, of which £1.6 million went to North East based partnerships.
	The Technology Strategy Board is also developing a network of Catapult centres to commercialise new and emerging technologies in areas where there are large global market opportunities and a critical mass of UK capability to take advantage. The centres bring together a wide cross-section of industry and work with the best universities and other technology organisations in the UK and internationally. The High Value Manufacturing Catapult comprises seven partner centres, one of which is the Centre for Process Innovation based in the North East (Wilton and Sedgefield). Another Catapult, in Offshore Renewable Energy, has an operational centre at the National Renewable Energy Centre in Northumberland.

Higher Education: Research

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average waiting time is for an EU citizen applying to work for a university's post-doctoral research project funded by the UK Research Council and their beginning work.

David Willetts: There is no difference between the recruitment arrangements for UK and other EU citizens.
	Research Councils award project grants to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), who themselves recruit and employ the postdoctoral researchers to undertake the work on the grant. The grant is awarded with a set start date which may be delayed by up to six months to allow for appointment of staff. HEIs must ensure that recruitment and selection procedures are informative, transparent and open to all qualified applicants, regardless of background.
	Research Councils also award postdoctoral fellowships to individual researchers with the support of a host HEI as their employer—the timings for the peer review and interview process to the actual start date vary across the Research Councils from four to 12 months. This period is made clear to applicants at the start of the process.

Institute for Employee Ownership

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the recommendation of the Nuttall Review, what consideration he has given to setting up an Institute for Employee Ownership; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The Government response to the Nuttall Review on employee ownership, which I launched on Tuesday 30 October, sets out how the recommendation to develop and deliver an independent Institute will be taken forward. The recommendation to take this forward is not for Government but is addressed to the employee ownership sector with whom we are collaborating where appropriate. The first step is to produce a commercial assessment of whether a proposal for a new Institute is a viable and self-sustaining proposition.

Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the efficacy of (a) the Office of the Independent Adjudicator and (b) the complaints procedure of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

David Willetts: The conditions to be met by a student complaint scheme and the conditions and duties of the operator of the scheme are set out in the Higher Education Act 2004. This includes a requirement to produce and publish an annual report. Detailed information is available in the Office of the Independent Adjudicator's (OIA) 2011 annual report, including new key performance indicators to enable the HE sector, Government and the public to review its performance.
	http://www.oiahe.org.uk/media/57882/oia_annual_report_2011.pdf
	The OIA has seen a continuing increase in its volume of work since it began operating in 2005. In 2011 it received 1,605 complaints; a rise of 20% from 2010 and a 200% increase on 2005. The OIA has responded by streamlining its processes. In 2011 the OIA reviewed and closed a record number of cases (1,443), a 75% increase on 2010 (825), with a reduction in unit costs of 35%. Its new triage (initial review) system has produced faster eligibility decisions (average 23-days, from 179-days in 2010) and more cases successfully resolved without a formal decision (11% in 2011, from 9% in 2010).
	In 2011 the OIA received 17 complaints about actions it had taken (“service complaints”).
	Such complaints are handled by the chief executive or company secretary.
	In our 2011 Higher Education White Paper “Students at the Heart of the system”, we asked the OIA to consult the HE sector on how universities can handle complaints better and resolve complaints at an earlier stage. Following consultation, the OIA are co-ordinating a series of campus pilots on early resolution, run by universities and students unions. These six-month pilots will be launched in early 2013. OIA are also developing a sector wide good practice framework, including time targets for resolution, for handling student complaints and appeals.
	http://www.oiahe.org.uk/media/75181/pathway-3-press-notice.pdf

Research: Marine Environment

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Natural Environment Research Council and the Technology Strategy Board spent on marine sciences in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and how much each is forecasting to spend in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14.

David Willetts: Expenditure on marine sciences by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Actual spend (1) Forecast spend (2) 
			  2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 
			 Total marine science(3) 74.0 73.0 72.7 68.5 
			 (1 )Excludes some exceptional costs such as building and replacement research vessel costs: £11.5 million in 2010/11 and £37 million in 2011/12. (2) Assumes expenditure on ship operations of National Oceanography Centre will Increase in line with inflation. (3) Excludes expenditure on: (a) British Antarctic Survey (BAS) ship operations as they support NERC logistic and research activities in Antarctica and so cannot be allocated as solely marine science expenditure; (b) multi-science areas research programmes as they are not solely marine research programmes; (c) the marine component of BAS, British Geological Survey and National Centre for Earth Observation programmes as it has not been possible to extract this in a quantitative way. Note: This table only shows the ‘total’ of the marine expenditure that can be readily identified. Given the exclusions above, NERC's actual marine science expenditure total will be significantly higher. 
		
	
	The Technology Strategy Board does not fund marine sciences directly but does support projects involving the application of marine sciences to the development of new products, processes and services. This includes around £3 million per annum funding projects in areas such as marine renewable energy and advances in aquaculture. It also supports the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult with funding in the region of £10 million per annum and launched a new competition in September 2012 to support projects in the area of offshore wind energy with funding of £10 million from the Technology Strategy Board and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).
	Additionally, a NERC and Technology Strategy Board co-funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership targeted call has just opened to help companies innovate more effectively in the supply chain for offshore renewable energy (wind, wave and tidal). NERC's co-funding of this £1.2 million competition is intended to help companies in this sector to use cutting-edge marine science better in developing their innovative products.

Students: Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage small businesses to offer work experience to students.

David Willetts: Both employers and young people can benefit from quality work experience opportunities, including internships. For young people, they are an excellent way to enhance their skills and knowledge in preparation for the jobs market. For businesses they offer low risk access to undergraduate or graduate skills, knowledge and innovation.
	The Government's Social Mobility Strategy, launched in April 2011, called on all businesses to sign up to a new Business Compact, which includes the commitment to offer work experience and internships in a fair and transparent way to young people. Almost 150 businesses have now signed up.
	To encourage employers to offer graduate internships, we are funding the Graduate Talent Pool (GTP) Service:
	http://graduatetalentpool.bis.gov.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/p!ekppgba
	for a further three years. This is a free, one-stop service for employers wishing to offer graduate internships, and for recent graduates looking to undertake one. By simplifying the process of taking on an intern, GTP aims to break down barriers which prevent employers, particularly small businesses, from offering graduate opportunities.
	Unleashing student and graduate entrepreneurial aspirations and providing them with opportunities to start and grow a business is crucial to our long term economic success. This year we are providing £1.3 million to support the development of student enterprise societies in all universities and most colleges by 2015. Within this, we are also piloting a national brand for a series of "Start-up Milkrounds" that will see enterprise societies and universities working together to create student internship and graduate job opportunities with local small to medium enterprises.
	In response to the Wilson Review and to promote greater business-university collaboration, we are also supporting the new National Centre for Universities and Businesses. The Centre will gather evidence and good practice on all aspects of HE-business collaboration, including work experience.

Trade Agreements

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made on an EU/US free trade agreement; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: Since leaders agreed to establish the EU-US High Level Working Group on jobs and growth at the EU-US summit of 28 November 2011, the High Level Working Group has produced an interim report looking into the potential options for increasing transatlantic trade and investment. The final report is expected to be released before the end of 2012, and we very much look forward to building on its conclusions to deepen further this important economic partnership. Following the re-election of President Obama, the Prime Minister re-stated his commitment to an EU-US trade deal. The UK Government welcomes the opportunity to work with partners in the EU on taking this agenda forward.